The first spring I spent in D.C. was amazing. I got to take in the cherry blossoms, explore new parks with friends, and enjoy in the warm, breezy days before the summer humidity set in. 

One thing, however, caught me off guard: the celebration of D.C. Emancipation Day. Metro was on a holiday schedule, local government was shut down, and some businesses even closed for the day. So what is this D.C. holiday? 

Every April 16, the city remembers the signing of the D.C. Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862, which ended slavery in Washington, D.C. and freed 3,100 individuals. This act also offered the freed men and women money to emigrate should they so choose. In what was common practice at the time, reimbursement was given to those who had legally owned these people.

Replica of the Emancipation Proclamation

In 2004, D.C. ACT 15-682 was brought to the D.C. Council, requesting that April 16 be legally proclaimed a public holiday. The measure passed and the act became law in early January of 2005, with the first emancipation day being commemorated that year. 

Information on the history of Emancipation Day and of slavery in the District of Columbia is available on the city’s government website and I’d recommend taking some time to read through it. While an upsetting part of our history (to put it lightly) it’s important to remember. 

In addition to online resources, D.C. does its best to celebrate the act of emancipation with some events around the city. There are also some monuments you might consider visiting to reflect on this history. Here are some ways to commemorate Emancipation Day in D.C. 

Attend the D.C. Emancipation Day Parade and Concert - Downtown

Photo by Ted Eytan / CC BY-SA

This Saturday, April 14, D.C. will host its annual Emancipation Day parade and concert around Downtown D.C. The parade will travel down Pennsylvania Avenue NW between 10th and 14th Streets NW and will begin at 2 p.m. Mayor Muriel Bowser will be marching in the parade along with other members of the community.

Brandy will be headlining the concert — which starts after the parade at 3 p.m. — along with other artists including Angie Stone, Big Daddy Kane, Jussie Smollett, and Rare Essence. Following the concert there will be fireworks. Emancipation Day events are free and open to the public. 

Visit Historic Sites and Monuments to Abolitionists

Frederick Douglas National Historic Site - Anacostia

Frederick Douglas National Historic Site / Photo by Walter Smailing / CC0

D.C. is known for its many monuments, many of which are dedicated to those who worked to end slavery. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass lived his last 17 years at Cedar Hill, which is now the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site. You can visit and tour the home in Anacostia. Abolitionist Sojourner Truth is memorialized in bronze in the Emancipation Hall at the Capitol Visitor Center. The bronze bust is the first sculpture to honor an African American woman in the Capitol. 

The African American Civil War Memorial and Museum - Shaw

The African American Civil War Memorial and Museum / Photo by US Department of Defense / CC0

The African American Civil War Memorial and Museum honors the contributions of the 209,145 members of the United States Colored Troops in the American Civil War, which ended with the emancipation of slaves accross the country. You can visit the memorial and museum — which are across the street from each other — in Shaw.

The Emancipation Memorial - Capitol Hill

The Emancipation Memorial  / photo by yeowatzup / CC BY

The Emancipation Memorial can be found in Capitol Hill’s Lincoln Park, and features President Abraham Lincoln freeing a slave, based on the likeness of Archer Alexander. While the monument is a controversial one, its historic significance can’t be ignored.